The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1887-10-29
WE 60 A FISHING.
T Continued from last Week.

GCOntinued from last Week.l
Went into Camp Morrison, the first
camp on the right bank of the river
Good place to camp: beautiful cove fOl
the boats, just as if made a-purpose /;
big trees all about; good place fol
tent, not under any tree; had a fine
fish supper. Down-wood plentiful
After supper we built up an old fash
ioned army fire; and then we had our
usual cOnUe1z0tt0ne.
The boys are in fine feather. They
have enjoyed the day, and they have a
great deal to say of different things OF
interest which they have noted, and
particularly of the narrow escape OF
the crew of the big boat from duck
ing.
"We came pretty near getting spilled
out, snre," said Frank. "But l wasn't
scared as l was the time Alex and
were caught in storm on the Missouri
river in his tin boat. Will remembers
it, too; he was in a larger boat with US
at the time. We had all been up to
Willow creek fishing and had started
back home. The river was high and
very wide then opposite the mouth of
the creek. Just as we came out of the
creek squall struck us, it suddenly
got as dark as night, the wind was
blowing up the river and raised tre-
mendOus waves, and they were chOppy
and irregular. Alex was rowing and
[ was sitting in the stern of the boat
which was q little tin, sectional thing,
belonging to fishing club, with sides
uh niOI,t inphoo htnh Tho M
got out into the river the bigger the
waves got and the harder the wind
blew. The big boat struck out for
home by the shortest route. We tried
to do the same thing, but soon found
that we were shipping SO much water
that we had 10 face the wind and
waves which took us across the river
rather above Lexington. Every time
a wave would strike the boat, ker. flop
it felt as il it was gong to stave her In,
and, some way, I'd rise in the boat as
if that would help her over. When we
got about half way home I wouldn't
have given fifteen cents for our chance
OF ever getting there, but if she was
small she was bOuyant, and though
the waves slapped her pretty hard, she
al W o1S lolbCu oNCi tuCuu, anu dl ldsl
we touched the shore, just above the
eddy, to take rest before pulling in to
the landing. Maybe wasn't glad to
get to land! tell you, the old Mis-
souri, won't do to fool With When il
gets mad it is the worst river on earth.
No one can appreciate the force of its
current until he tries to contend with
it, and when heavy wind and the cur
rent get at war with each other they
kick up lively sea-"
"That's So" said Will. GIVE had
many q narrow escape from ducking
in it, if not worse. But talking Of
duckings the best thing i'm that line
happened when John -, Phil. -
and myself went down to Baltimore
bar one winter. 1t was on the seventh
of December and cold. There was
a skim OF ice near the shore and the
water would chill man to the marrow
in two seconds. AS we were going
down to the river friend OF ours pre-
sented us with quart bottle of splen-
did old blackberry brandy. 1t tasted
SO mild and nice that the boys touched
it pretty freely, and it began to tell on
them. First John got sleepy and laid
in his oars and went to sleep in the
stern OF the skiff. Then Phil. who
was in the bow did the same thing.
That LETT me to row by myself, but as il
was down stream and easy pulling l
didn't mind it. BY this time it was
getting quite dark. took a steady
stroke, aud we were going at a lively
rate, pretty near the bank, when all at
once | ran upon snag. The boat
tilted up little and l hallooed at the
boys to get up and help me. John
walked up first, and being somewhat
dazed he thought we had reached the
bar, and run against it, causing the jar
to the boat, SO he yelled ont, "You
Phil, why in the - don't you Jump
out and pull the boat on the bari"
Phil, wskened suddenly from dense
slaep, took him at his word and jump
ed out of the boat in thirty feet of the
cOldest water yOu ever saw. You
know how fat he is; he couldn't stay
under water lsng even if he tried, SO
in two or three seconds up he popped,
putting and blowing like distressed
pOrpoise, and after some effort got to
the boat. AS he rested his capacious
bread-basket on the gunwale, he look
ed reproachfully at .Iohn and said, in
the most dOletui tone imaginable, with
his teeth rattling like castanets,
"W-e-l-l, You played tn u-n-
der, didn't y-o-n |" If the sal
vatiOn OF the crew had depended
on it couldn't have helped it, | threw
myself down in the bottom of the boat
and laughed till the tears ran down my
f,,ko n,. l,..l
skifi and we Went on down to our des-
tinatiOn, with no effects of blackberry
brandy visible on any of us. The next
day we caught. in the pockets around
Baltimore bar, 3,6O0 pounds of fish,
mostly buffalo,"
THAT reminds me-" said the cook,
nof ducking got once in Cowskin
river. The name is not poetical or
euphonious. but the river itself Is
beautiful. 1t runs through Mcdonald,
The southwest corner county Of Mis-
souri,. We camped near its banks in
1851, as Will and Frank remember.
Ny first experience with the stream
was when | went to battle i'm it one
day. When l got ready to leap ip [
looked oil the bank which was three
or four feet high and nearly pegpendic-
nlar, and the water seemed to be about
three or four feet deep, SO l made an
easy jump. feet first, expecting to bring
np about waist deep. The next thing
| knew ! was going down, down,
down, and before my feet touched the
bottom there must have been five CT six
feet OF water between my head and the
top. The water was as clear as crystal
and ten to twelve fees deep. One day
Glllogly, Salmon, kinsella, myself and
one or two other of kelly's old compa-
ny, III walking down the stream OBJ
served stretch of about three quarters
OF mile OF rapids-livcly ones NJ that,
regular boiling, rip-roarinu RAPIDS.